Frank g



(No Model.)

1?. G. CURTIS.

ELECTRICAL QUNNEGTOR.

No. 510;:598. vPatented1390,19, 1893.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK G. CURTIS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 510,898, slatedDecember 19, 1893.

Application filed February 13, 1893. I Serial No. 462,155. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be itknown that I, FRANK G. CURTIS, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in ElectricalConnectors; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the nvention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to electrical connectors and is designed especiallyfor employment in establishing a reliable electrical connection betweena battery electrode and the end of the conducting wire or strip leadingtherefrom to a neighboring battery or to line.

The object of the invention is to lower to a minimum the resistancebetween the opposing surfaces of contact by insuring an absolutelyefficient and trustworthy connection both between the connector andconductor and between the connector and electrode. To this end I havedevised aconstrnction wherein both of said connections are effectedsimultaneously and are dependent upon each other, the back pressure onthe binding screw from the conductor on which it bears serving tosimultaneously operate a clamp forming a part of the structure, andcausing it to grasp the electrode with acorrespondinglyincreasmgpressure as the binding screw is being screwed down upon the conductor.In this manner the establishment of a good connection at the bindingpost end of the device positively insures an equally good connectionwith the electrode. The organization is moreover one of great simplicityof structure, and, havlng but a single manually-operated element, may beconnected up, disconnected, and, when in use, supervised by the batteryattendant with much facility.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents the application ofaconnector embodying my invention to the connecting-up of two batteriesof a familiar construction, one of the batteries being shown partly insection. Figs. 2, 3 and 4 represent respectively and on a larger scale aside elevation,

rear elevation, and front elevation of said connector; and Fig. 5represents a modified form of said connector.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views.

Referring to the drawings, 6, 6, indicate two battery cells adapted tocontain the battery fluids and having electrodes 7, 8, of opposite sign,one of said electrodeshaving the customary terminal 9. It will, ofcourse, be understood that the particular form of battery shown is notof the essence of my present invention but is chosen merely as anillustration of one of the ways in which the connector itself may beemployed.

The preferred form or modification of the connector is illustrated inFigs. 1 to 4 inclusive. It consists essentially of two jaws 10, 11, ofconducting material connected together by the pivot pin 12, one of saidjaws as 10 having an intcriorly-threaded aperture within which engagesthe externally threaded shank of a binding screw 13. The opposite jaw,as 11, is adapted to support the conductor, which may be a metallic band14 having at or near its end a recess into which the end of the bindingscrew may enter, or which maybe an ordinary conducting wire,in whichlatter case the surface of the jaw 11 is preferably grooved at 15 (seethe dotted line in Fig. 2), thereby affording a recess within which theconducting wire may lie.

The operation is apparent: In establishing the connection between theconductor and electrode, the connector is interposed between them asshown, and the binding screw is screwed down upon the conductor and intothe recess thereof, if the metallic band 14 is employed. The backpressure upon the binding screw causes the opposite ends of the two jawsto approach each other and to clamp the electrode between them. Thisclamping action increases with the continued screwing in of the bindingscrew, and it is evident that when the final binding of the screw uponthe conductor takes place it is necessarily accompanied by an equallysatisfactory and efficient mechanical and electrical connection of thejaws with the electrode, and on both sides of said electrode over aconsiderable surface thereof. The contact thus secured is very intimateand protects the opposing surfaces against the action of the batteryvapors and against the creeping action of the salts from the solutions.

In the modification shown in Fig. 5, the same characteristic features ofconstruction are presented, but the jaws 10 11 instead of being bent atright angles so as to extend ontwardly, are simply crossed and extendedin the same direction, whereby upon clamping a conductor between the oneend,by the screw 13, the opposite ends will be forced apart, adaptingthis form of the device for use in making contact with the interior of ahollow conductor.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. An electricalconnector, consisting of two aws of conducting material, pivotedtogether at a point intermediate of their length, one of said jawscarrying a binding screw at one of it ends adapted to bear against theconductor supported by the corresponding end of the other jaw, and theopposite ends of the aws constituting a clamp; substantially asdescribed.

2. An electrical connector, consisting of two jaws of conductingmaterial, pivoted together at a point intermediate of their length, theportions of the jaws on opposite sides of the pivot forming an anglewith each other, one of said jaws carrying a binding screw at one of itsends adapted to bear against the conductor supported by thecorresponding end of the other jaw, and the opposite ends of the jawsconstituting a clamp; substantially as described.

3. An electrical connector, consisting of two jaws of conductingmaterial, pivoted together at a point intermediate of their length, oneof said jaws carrying at one of its ends a binding screw adapted to bearagainst the conductor, the corresponding end of the other jaw having arecess for the reception of the conductor supported by it, and theopposite ends of the jaws constituting a clamp; substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof Iat'fix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK G. CURTIS. Witnesses:

H. G. WILEY, CHAS. RICHARDSON.

